Role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the performance of floodplain Phragmites japonica under nutrient stress condition

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on growth, nutrient uptake, and inoculation effectiveness on Phragmites japonica. Spores of AMF strains (Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall) were collected from the commercial product ‘Serakinkon’. Four treatments, namely, natural soil (NS), natural soil inoculated by AM fungi, sterilised soil (SS) inoculated by AM fungi, and SS without AM fungi inoculation were selected to determine the effects of applied and indigenous AMF on P. japonica. The average colonisation level of P. japonica was 24–33%, whereas no colonisation was found in the SS. AMF colonisation increased the chlorophyll content (r = 0.84, p < .01), plant dry mass (r = 0.89, p < .01), and N, P, K, Mg, and Fe concentration of the plant's roots, stems, and leaves when AMF was applied with natural and SS. In all cases, maximum values were found when the plants were applied with NS in combination with AMF, but Ca concentration decreased as the colonisation level increased. Mn concentration decreased in the roots, but increased in the leaves. Cu concentration was not significantly affected by treatments. N-loss minimisation from the soil was significant when the colonisation level was high.